Hometown Girl
by VegasGirl09
Summary: Nick takes Finn to meet his family in Texas.
1. Chapter 1

San Diego was Julie's third favorite place to be. She had always kept a list of her favorite places to live or visit and while Vegas and Seattle had been her first true love, San Diego was now taking the cake. She felt at ease here ever since her first visit with Nick to see his new home after her coma. She could relax and forget about work when she was here. They spent an inordinate about of time at the beach. She _loved_ being outside, digging in the sand for seashells, dragging Nick to the waters edge so they could play their favorite game of tossing each other into oncoming waves repeatedly, eating all the junk food from the little food trucks and cafes along the boardwalk. She could easily best him at consuming endless helpings of pizza, ice cream and anything deep fried.

They never had to plan activities here; they just did whatever they want, whenever they wanted. So naturally, when it came time for both of them to use some vacation days and they sat down in the living room in Vegas to discuss where they should go, she expected a long weekend at the condo and on the beach. Instead, what she heard from Nick made her heart drop into her stomach.

"Let's go see my parents in Texas," he declared.

"W-what?" she stammered even though she clearly heard him.

"Texas, you, me, my family," he repeated, sliding on to the couch where she had been sitting, relaxed until the announcement made her sit up in panic, "what do you think?"

"But- San Diego," she stammered.

"We always go there," he reminded her "Texas is fun too, and besides, we're getting married, I think my parents should probably, you know, meet you before the wedding and you can meet my sisters too"

"Sisters?" Julie repeated stunned "you have sisters?"

"Yep, four," he said "Jessica is the only one who still lives at home but she works with therapy horses on my parents property."

"Horses?" she interrupted him again shocked by all these little details about his family.

"Yeah she's got stables on my parent's property," Nick explained, "there's so much land, my dad had this huge house built when we were kids and just kept expanding on the property so it's like a mansion now, anyways, I think we would have a really good time there, so what do you say?"

But Julie was lost in thought now, wondering what a trip to Texas would be like. Nick's family seemed really unique and interesting. She couldn't help but wonder if they would like her at all. People had a tendency to misjudge her on first meeting her. Just the thought of being surrounded by strangers judging her all at once made her heart race and ache at the same time. She shifted awkwardly on the couch now as Nick sat with her, waiting for her to answer.

"But- she stammered again, squirming in her seat, anxious, trying to find some excuse not to go. She loved Nick but her own insecurities were holding her back. She hated that push and pull of her emotions. She bit her lip, fighting back tears of frustration.

"What sweetheart?" he tried coaxing her into telling him what was bothering her.

"What if they don't like me?" she whispered, finally looking up at him, feeling ashamed for letting negative thoughts consume her.

Nick reached for her hands to calm her fidgeting and insisted firmly "They are going to _love_ you, I promise."

"But what if they don't?" she pushed again, her stubbornness outweighing her logic in the moment.

"It's never easy meeting people," he explained calmly to her "but I'll be with you the entire time okay? And they just want to meet you that's all."

It wasn't exactly as comforting as she hoped, but she knew he meant well and he loved her, that's what mattered. Finally she gave in, wanting to do this for him so she nodded, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach as he hugged her.

A/N- I was unclear about some of the details of Nick's family. Several sites mention parents which we saw in Grave Danger but I thought he mentioned having a sister or two at one point. To make the contrast for Julie having no family, I gave Nick four siblings to create the necessary tension for the story and hence her nervousness about meeting them.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later, Julie found herself on a plane with Nick on their way to Texas, more specifically the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth where his parents resided. When they had gathered their luggage and exited the airport gate, Julie was wondering if they were going to rent a car to drive to his parents when a high pitched voice yelled out for Nick.

"There you are!" a woman with short dark hair was now hurtling towards them, beaming with open arms as she embraced Nick. This had to be one of his sisters.

"Hey Jess," Nick greeted her.

"It's been too long kid," Jessica said, slightly hurt at the time that had passed since their last visit. "You haven't seen any of my new babies come through the stables."

"I can't wait," Nick said thinking of the horses Jessica had.

"You must be Julie," Jessica said turning her attention to Julie now, shaking her hand with both of hers "Nicky told us all about you, do you like horses?"

"Oh definitely," Julie said with excitement "I've always wanted one but I never really had a chance to be around them, I just remember being obsessed with them when I was a kid."

"You'll love em' Jessica said finally showing that Texas accent in her excitement "come on, mom and dad are waiting."

She helped carry some of their luggage to her shiny pick up truck that was parked in one of the airport lots. Despite the rural vibe she gave off, Jessica had a modern vehicle, I-phone and GPS unit in her car. During the drive she chatted all about Nick's parents and his other sisters who were "too busy" to stop by so it would just be the five of them for the next few days. Julie felt slightly calmer now that she would only have to meet a few of Nick's family members.

The further on they drove, the more rural the landscape got. Until Jessica made a sharp turn and suddenly they were passing through an enormous wooden gate that surrounded a monumental chunk of land. Julie couldn't tell where it ended. She could see a mansion size house, a large barn, the stables Jessica mentioned, a few patches of land for a garden and a swimming pool. Never in a million years would she have guessed Nick having family this rich and the property only enhanced her fears of what was waiting for them inside.

The truck came to a stop, kicking up large clouds of dust as they got out. The house facing Julie was indeed larger than she expected. It had a giant wrap around porch with rocking chairs and benches. There was a flat roof covering the porch and a second floor with windows at the level of the porch roof. Iron décor was placed here and there on the porch and walls of the house. A Texas state flag was perched on a pole jutting out from one of the beams. Julie felt an odd chill go through her body despite the warm temperatures outside. The trio wound their way up the stone walkway, onto the porch and through two large wooden front doors with glass panes.

Just like at the airport, Jessica yelled loudly for her parents. In the brief moment before they arrived, Julie caught a glimpse of a spacious living room to her right filled with two big couches and several large cushiony arms chairs, a large screen TV was perched above a stone fireplace. To her left there was a large modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances; there were pots and pans hanging from a large shelf. Just above the kitchen was an open space and Julie caught a glimpse of a loft space overlooking the space below. She felt overwhelmed by the space until unfamiliar voices called back to them.

"Bill the kids are here!" Nick's mother called for her husband, as she entered the room first. Julie instinctively moved aside so Nick could hug his mother but he held onto her hand so she was awkwardly part of the hug.

"Hi sweetie," Nick's mother Jillian said acknowledging Julie in her greeting "we are so happy to finally get to meet you."

"I'm here, I'm here," Nick's father said, entering the room before Julie could answer his mother.

The entire greeting process was a lot of hugging from Jillian and hand shakes from Bill.

"How's San Diego treating you?" Bill asked Nick.

"It's been great," Nick said "I get tons of vacation time now, more time to spend in Vegas with Jules and Sam."

"Oh I forgot you kids are doing the long distance thing," Bill said "well once you get a bigger space out there son, you can move on out there too."

He nodded at Julie who was torn at what to say.

"I'm good in Vegas, really," she said "I still have work and Sam and our friends."

But Bill just stared at her in disbelief. Julie felt awkward so she let her gaze drop to the shiny red cedar floor waiting for someone else to speak.

"So, who's hungry?" Jillian declared now, breaking the awkward silence at last.

A/N: Awkward doesn't even begin to sum up the way I felt writing this but it's important for the story and puts a strain on what was a smooth, hassle free relationship for Nick and Julie.


	3. Chapter 3

They gathered around the large marble counter top in the kitchen where Jillian had set up snacks. Julie didn't feel very hungry but felt she better eat so she wouldn't come off as being rude.

"So Julie, Nicky says you work at the lab in Vegas," Jillian inquired more about her job.

"Yeah I process crimes scenes and specifically focus on blood spatter analysis when needed but also assist with interrogating suspects, gathering evidence and what not" she explained as simplistic as she could so as not to alarm them with the horrors of her work.

"Tell them how we first got together," Nick insisted, leaning back in his chair at the counter wearing a smug grin.

"Oh well it was really funny," Julie gushed happily "we spent a lot of time combing through dumpsters looking for evidence and goofing around when no one was looking, and then after this one case, we were joking around about chivalry and he still made me climb in that last dumpster and that's when I knew I loved him."

She smirked at Nick, recalling that hilarious moment.

"And then," Julie continued "he was so sweet to me after my coma that we-

There was an uproar; cries of shock making Julie jump, startled.

"Coma?" Jillian shrieked. "What coma?"

"The one I was stuck in for a few weeks, two years ago?" Julie explained, confused by their confusion, glancing at Nick, searching for help.

"I'm sorry," Nick said hastily "I should have told you guys, but it was kind of our business and I didn't want to burden you guys with that stress."

"Well how the heck did it happen?" Jessica asked now.

Julie didn't know how to explain what horrors had been unleashed on her to Nick's family but she took a deep breath and explained, all about Gig Harbor, the cases, the attack, waking up, recovering. She talked straight through, fearful that if she stopped talking; her emotions would get the best of her and embarrass her in front of his family.

"Those were really tough days at first," she concluded "but Nicky was my rock, he took care of me, he let me know that it was okay to feel hurt and confused, he helped me get through therapy so that I could work again, he never let me quit even when I wanted to, I couldn't have gotten through that time without him."

She stopped to address the stares that Jillian, Bill and Jessica were giving her.

"She's amazing," Nick praised Julie, squeezing her shoulders "and that's why we're here, so you can celebrate with us when we get married."

The second uproar was just as loud as the first. But this time, only Jillian and Jessica shrieked in shock.

"Oh honey congratulations," Jillian squealed happily.

"About time," Jessica said, reaching across the table to punch Nick's arm.

"Let me see the ring," Jillian said, reaching eagerly now for Julie's hand.

Julie flashed the ring, happy to do so at any opportunity.

"It's beautiful," Jillian sighed "isn't this great dear?"

She glanced at Bill who had remained silent during this chaos.

"Well yeah, I guess," he said, pausing to sip from his coffee mug "if you like rushed weddings."

"It's not rushed," Jillian said, lightly smacking Bill's arm in protest of his words "they've been dating for two years."

"Yeah, only after _she_ got out of that coma," Bill said nodding at Julie nonchalantly, "seems kinda rushed to me, you barely know each other."

"Come on dad," Nick said "it's not like that."

But Julie couldn't shake the feeling that Bill was not convinced.

After the awkward lunch in the lavish kitchen, Nick gave Julie a tour of the house. It was full of rooms where guests could stay but some of the childhood belongings of Nick and his sisters remained. Julie immersed herself in photos of him as a child that hung on the walls along the winding hallway and stairwell. It was the first time she had seen pictures of him as a child and she couldn't help but gush over how adorable he was.

"You're so cute," she giggled at a photo of him dressed in full cowboy gear and it wasn't even Halloween.

Nick enjoyed her excitement in the moment and was relieved that some of the tension and awkwardness had subsided. The last place he showed her was the loft space which boasted a large couch, bookshelf, view into the kitchen below, a solid wood railing ensconced the whole thing and a large bay window was set just at the height of the porch roof.

"I used to sneak out that window to go to parties, down to the river for bonfires, you name it, I was sneaking out to get to it," Nick enticed her with his stories.

"Down to the river?" she repeated, "that is so incredibly Texas, it hurts."

She grinned at her smart remark and he rolled his eyes.

"Say what you want about Texas," Jessica's voice floated from behind them "but I think you like the "so incredibly Texas" thing I have planned for you two tomorrow."

"Is it horses?" Julie asked now, recalling Nick telling her about his sister's work with them.

"You bet," Jessica confirmed "I've got some new ones coming in real early for pampering and relaxation before we start training them for the therapy folks and I could use some help in the stables, think you're up for it?"

"Oh yes, definitely!" Julie gushed, feeling truly excited now for the first time in hours.

She had always wanted a horse ever since she was little but living in suburban Philadelphia and then bustling Seattle, horses were hard to find.

"Sounds great," Jessica said "see you tomorrow, six am sharp."

The early wake up call did not diminish Julie's spirit. In their guest bedroom that evening, she made sure to lay out her clothes beforehand and set an alarm just in case. But her excitement at finally getting a chance to be close to horses made it difficult for her to sleep. Nick could feel her tossing and turning restlessly throughout the night. So it was no surprise that when he woke up early the next morning, she was already awake and standing at the window, staring out it with an eager but tired gaze.

"What are you doing babe?" he asked her.

"Waiting for your sister," she explained quietly, her face inches from the window glass, craning her neck trying to see through the hazy early morning fog that was spread across the large property.

Nick smiled, loving her enthusiasm and excitement after a rocky start to their trip. She had dressed down in clothes suitable for working with his sister in the stables; jeans, a dark blue shirt and tennis shoes. When Julie spotted the pick up truck carrying the horse trailer through the foggy mist, she jumped up and cried "She's here, they're here, I'm going."

She raced over to the bedside to kiss him goodbye before bounding out the door. It took Nick a few more minutes to feel awake and energized like her before he got dressed and followed her downstairs. His mother was it the kitchen making coffee but he didn't see Julie.

"Morning," Jillian greeted him in a soft whisper.

"Where's Jules?" he asked now.

Jillian just smiled and pointed to the front porch where Nick could see Julie standing, leaning over the railing, straining to see the horses in the fog. Nick joined her on the porch, hugging her from behind, rocking her gently.

"Look at them!" she gushed pointing across the yard where she could see Jessica and her handlers guiding the horses of the trailer and into the barn "aren't they beautiful?"

"They are gorgeous," he agreed, thinking only of her in the moment.

"You don't have to stay back here," he reminded her now "you can get closer."

"I don't want to scare them," she said worriedly.

"You won't," Nick assured her, reaching for her hand to hold now "come on."

He guided her gently off the porch and across the yard to the barn where Jessica was waiting. She had several farmhands and trainers bustling around the barn, checking each horse into its own stable. When Jessica spotted them approaching, she called out "Looking good guys."

Jessica introduced her team to Nick and Julie, most of the trainers already knew Nick from previous visits.

"So," Jessica said, clapping her hands together eagerly "ready to work?"

"Yes ma'am," Julie said politely.

"All right," Jessica said "grab some work boots from the shelf there, some gloves if you want them, we are gonna clean the stables, make sure everyone's got food and water and just spend some quality time with them, get them used to people."

Julie dove right into the supply area nearby, hastily ripping off her shoes and replacing them with rubber work boots. Nick was still hovering near the barn entrance.

"You sticking around?" Jessica asked him.

"Nah, dad wants my help replacing some of the fence around the property." Nick said "it'll be just you and Jules, is that okay babe?"

He glanced around for Julie but she had already scampered off to the closest stable with one of Jessica's trainers and was gently petting a horse. She would never even notice him sneak away to help his father.

As the sun rose and the fog broke, Julie, Jessica and the trainers had cleaned out all the stables, filled the troughs with food and water and giving the horses lots of attention and praise. Julie focused on learning their names, their history and the types of people who visited the stables. Jessica told her stories about young kids and adults with special needs who benefited from spending time with the horses. How some visitors were recovering from addictions and their recovery was aided through the horses and learning to care for them.

"They give people hope you know?" Jessica concluded her speech and Julie smiled, loving the passion she had for the horses and the patients who came here.

By late afternoon, Nick and his father had finished most of the fence repairs and Nick returned to the stables to check on Julie. He spotted her, petting a different horse than she had been when he left. He watched her sneak the horse a carrot, smiling when he saw the horse nudge her for more which she happily obliged, unable to resist giving the horse a quick kiss on the nose. She was so immersed in caring for them, talking to them, and making sure she did a good job in helping Jessica, she didn't even notice Nick enter the barn.

"How'd she do?" he asked Jessica who had noticed him standing there.

"She's a natural," Jessica told him "every single one of them was calm with her, she worked hard, got all the jobs done, and she's a real sweetheart, you know I bet my babies would have been good therapy for her after that coma, why didn't you bring her around back then?"

"I wanted to," Nick said "but she was still recovering and the doctors wanted her travel limited, she was exhausted all the time, I couldn't risk bringing her here and making her feel worse."

"I get it," Jessica said "poor kid, but you can't even tell looking at her now, can you?"

Nick watched again as Julie pet the horse in the next stable, giggling when it too nudged her for more carrots.

"No, you can't," he finally agreed, proud of how far they had come in getting Julie back to her normal self.

Julie happened to tear her gaze away from the horse and noticed Nick at last. She bounced back up to him, gushing happily about her day and all she had learned.

"It was so much fun," she concluded, breathlessly.

"I'm glad you had fun," Nick said, tenderly wiping away a few smudges of dirt from her face.

"Thank you so much," Julie turned to Jessica now, grateful for the experience.

"Oh no problem," Jessica said "you're a natural, you know, if you want, you can ride one of them."

"Really?" Julie asked, stunned momentarily, twisting her hands together nervously "are you sure?" I love them, they are so sweet but I don't know anything about riding."

"It'll be easy," Jessica said "I'll be right with you the entire time, what do you say?"

Julie glanced at Nick, silently asking for his thoughts on the matter. He was slightly worried about her falling and hurting her head, but he couldn't deny her this small joy after all the hard work she had done today.

"Go for it," he encouraged and she smiled.

Jessica helped Julie pick out the calmest horse, set up the saddle and reigns and show Julie how to carefully get up on the horse. Once Julie was sitting on the horse, Jessica guided her gently out into the open field. Julie was nervous at first, clutching the reigns tightly but as they slowly maneuvered around the pen, she felt more at ease and eventually loosened her grip on the reigns, relaxing with the motions of the horse trotting casually around the pen. After five trips around the pen, Jessica and Julie returned to the stables. Julie shakily slid off the horse, happy for the experience but also happy to be back on solid ground.

"Thank you," she whispered to the horse, leaning gently against him in a sideways hug.

Nick felt his heart ache when he saw her do that.


	4. Chapter 4

When Nick, Julie and Jessica got back to the house, Jillian was waiting for them, smiling.

"I hope you guys are hungry," she said eagerly "we're all going into town for dinner tonight so go wash up."

"Where are we going?" Nick inquired.

"Oh that BBQ place your father likes," Jillian explained "the old fashioned one with the bar and those fancy butter rolls."

"What's so special about that place?" Julie whispered to Nick as they started up the stairs to get ready.

"Remember when you said my sneaking out to go to the river was "so Texas it hurt?" he echoed their conversation from yesterday "well this restaurant is gonna really pack a punch."

Nick was right. After showers and dressing up in her favorite green dress and high heels, the five of them drove off the property, passing through the large wooden gate and onto the main road into the closest small town. The restaurant was only a few miles from the road and looked like a run down shack with its peeling painted letters welcoming guests, its loose wooden boards on the side and it's large, loud crowd with booming voices carrying from the doorway out into the parking lot. Inside there was a large bar to the right but round tables to the left. An old jukebox was propped up in the corner playing some twangy music she couldn't indentify. There were flat screen TV's mounted on the walls near the bar displaying some sort of football game even though it was out of season. Nick's father got a table right away and Julie wondered if he had some sort of influence on the people here in town since he had been a judge for so many years.

They ordered food and had small talk about the weather, having spotted some darker clouds rolling in on the horizon when they left indicating an impending storm. Jessica raved about Julie's hard work with the horses today and Nick tried to make the work he did on the fence seem interesting but Jessica just rolled her eyes. When a familiar song came on the jukebox, Julie lifted her head, surprised but happy.

"I love this song," she told Nick "we should use this one on our playlist at the reception."

Nick paused to catch the song over the roaring dinner crowd but when he recognized it, he smiled and said "Oh yeah, good catch babe."

"So you kids got a date set for this thing?" Bill asked gruffly now.

"Not yet," Nick said "we were thinking sometime in May."

"Oh good," Bill said to their surprise "we can speak to reverend Franks at the church and get them set up with some sessions."

Julie glanced at Nick, worriedly.

"We're not doing that dad," Nick explained "Jules and I just want someone to officiate it, nothing fancy or churchy."

Bill just stared at his son in disbelief.

"That's not how we raised you," he said "people get married in churches, not Vegas drive through windows."

"There are plenty of nice places to get married in Vegas," Julie piped up defensively.

"Well you'll still need to speak to the reverend about pre marital counseling," Bill continued to push religion on them.

"I've been through them, twice," Julie chimed in "they really don't help."

"Your sisters did it, and so will you," Bill said to Nick, completely ignoring Julie "it's how you make sure everything's good you know, you discuss important stuff like money and kids, _you_ can have kids can't you?"

He directed his question to Julie now who immediately felt her face grow hot with embarrassment.

"I can," she snapped "we've never talked about it, but if Nicky wants kid's then-

"I don't," Nick insisted "we're perfectly happy just the three of us, let's just talk about something else."

The silence that followed made the entire awkward discussion even worse. Julie picked at her food, not feeling hungry instead feeling her stomach churn unpleasantly with nervousness, anger and embarrassment.

After the awkward meal, when the waitress had cleared their table, another song Julie recognized came on the jukebox.

"I _love_ this song," she whispered to Nick, leaning in close "let's go dance."

He glanced at the small dance floor near the jukebox where a few couples had meandered over to throughout the evening. He was silent as he offered Julie his hand which she enthusiastically took, dragging him out of his chair and onto the dance floor.

She felt at ease whenever they danced like this, swaying steadily with the rhythm, wrapped up in each others embrace, it took away the tension from dinner but she could still feel his parent's eyes on them as they moved.

After a few songs, they decided to call it a night. Bill paid the tab for the meal and they ambled back to the car. It was dark now, the low grey clouds no longer visible on the horizon but instead had mixed with the darkness to create a darker than usual sky. Back at the house, Jessica went upstairs to her room. Julie was still feeling playful, dancing her way into the kitchen still holding Nick's hand, leaning in, kissing him once then letting him spin her playfully around the kitchen. Despite her energy, she covered a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"I'll be upstairs," she said now as Nick sat down at the kitchen counter looking at something on his phone.

"I'll be up there in a minute," he told her and she meandered up the large wooden stair case, gathering up her pajamas from her travel bag, passing through the open loft area to the bathroom to change. She slipped out of her heels but realized she forgot her toothbrush so she doubled back through the loft to retrieve it. Loud voices caught her attention.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure, why are you questioning everything we do?"

"She just doesn't seem right, married twice already, doesn't even want kids, that's not exactly a catch son."

Julie stopped, feeling her breath catch in her chest. Nick and his father were talking in the kitchen below, talking about _her._ She sank down onto the floor, peering cautiously through the railings, holding her breath, listening.

"None of that matters to me," Nick defended them "she's not like any one else I've ever been with, she listens, she understands me, she cares about every single person she meets, why isn't that enough for you?"

"Marriage isn't all the honeymoon phase," Bill explained "this fairy tale stuff won't last long, you know how many divorce cases I presided over, I just don't want that to happen to you."

"It won't," Nick insisted firmly.

"You can't be sure," Bill snapped back "come on son, wake up, you just felt sorry for her after that coma business, that's all, there's no future with that girl."

Julie couldn't stand it any longer. She crawled away from the railing, her heart shattering into a million pieces over what she just heard. She had to get away from here, right now. She glanced around the loft space, her eyes landing on the open window that lead to the covered porch roof. Quietly, she slipped back into her heels, grabbed the clutch bag she had used to carry her phone, wallet and smaller personal items, propped open the window, and slid right out of it and onto the porch roof. Her heels made tiny clicks on the roof top as she carefully slid over to the edge.

Glancing down, she made note of the distance between the ground and her current position, one story, no big deal. In one motion, she jumped, landing hard on the gravel surface below. Her ankle gave out from under her, sharp pain shooting up her leg but she bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. The pathway off the property was a few feet away so she started to hobble towards it, slowly but determined. After a few agonizing minutes she reached the entranceway, guarded by that ridiculous wooden gate. It was locked like Fort Knox but she blindly found one of the latches, shoving it hard with the palm of her hand, it wouldn't budge.

Frustrated and hurt, she kicked at it once, hard, her knee crashing against the wooden frame. The gate thrust forward, open at last but she could feel something sharp pierce her right knee, the warm blood running down her leg but she pressed on into the darkness, limping down the road and out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Julie could feel the humidity and moisture saturating the air as she continued to limp down the dark road. She had only her mini flashlight to guide her as she stumbled over rocks and sticks along the rural route. She kept going, pushing onward into town where the restaurant they had just vacated was. She felt a drop of rain bounce off the top of her head as she pushed her way into the restaurant, exhausted from the journey. She surveyed the place; it was as they had left it except more patrons crowded the bar, the pool table and dance area. She limped over to the first available seat at the bar, and collapsed into it. The bartender noticed her limp inside and approached her.

"Ma'am, you're bleeding," he said stating the obvious of her hand and leg.

"I'm fine," she insisted, whipping out her cell phone now and scrolling through it for flights to take her home.

The bartender handed her a dish cloth to wrap around her hand wish she gratefully accepted.

"Do you need me to call someone for you?" he asked worriedly.

"I've got it, thanks," she assured him, not wanting him to ask too many questions or get too involved with what was happening….

Jessica had left her room at the sound of Nick and her father arguing. She passed the loft space where Julie's belongings lay on the floor, the window was wide open leading off the porch. She didn't need to be a CSI like her brother to know what had happened.

"Hey!" Jessica yelled as she hurried down the stairs "knock it off you idiots, we've got a problem."

"Not now Jess," Nick said frustrated.

"Julie's gone," Jessica snapped making Nick look at her in alarm now.

"What do you mean gone?" Nick asked.

"She heard you guys arguing about her and she ran away you dope," Jessica snapped.

Jessica showed them the open window and all of Julie's stuff on the floor.

"Damn," Nick swore, slamming the window shut as a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

"You better find her before that storm gets here," Bill said as if she was some sort of lost animal.

Nick was silent as he raced back downstairs, grabbing the keys to his father's truck off the key holder.

"Jess go with your brother and help," Bill insisted.

"No dad, I've got it," Nick snapped, slamming the front door shut as he exited.

Nick tried calling Julie's cell phone a dozen times but she wouldn't answer. He passed through the gate and noticed the broken frame; this had to be her work. He continued on down the road but didn't see any sign of her….

The pain in Julie's leg and hand intensified the longer she sat at that bar, scrolling through her phone looking for flights to get her home but with the impending storm, everything was being delayed. Nick's attempts to call her were annoying and she rejected them all. If he wanted her that badly he wouldn't have brought her here to be ridiculed by his family. From the window she could see lightning flicker against the grimy bar windows…

Rain had started to leave little drops on his car windshield as he sped down the road searching for her. There was no place around here she knew or could run away to except-

He stopped the car in front of the restaurant they had eaten at earlier, leapt out of the car and raced inside. The crowd blurred together but he spotted her at the bar looking disheveled but blending in with the other patrons. Sighing, he approached her and sank down into the next bar stool beside her.

"Rough night?" he asked casually as if he didn't know what was happening.

"I've had better," she snapped at him "took you long enough to get here."

"Well you could have made it a little less obvious sweet pea," he said "ready to come back home now?"

"I'm ready to go back to Vegas," she insisted "but this damn city and it's stupid storms delayed all the flights"

"Yeah that's Texas," Nick said.

"That's bull," she snapped.

"Come on babe" Nick said cutting to the chase now, "I know you heard my dad talking."

"Yeah what about it?" she snapped.

"You know I don't give a damn what he thinks," Nick said "I want you and me together and nothing he says will change that and you _know_ that."

"Then why did you bring me here?" she asked sadly now, piercing him with a tear filled gaze.

"Honestly, I didn't think it would end up like this," Nick said "and I really am sorry, but we can't run away just because my dad's a stick in the mud, we have to go back."

"He hates me," she whispered sadly to him.

"No," he soothed reaching out to brush her hair "no he doesn't, he's just being weird for some reason, I can't defend him and I don't want to, but I can make sure he knows how much I love you, and if we can get a flight out of here tomorrow, I will do everything I can to get you away from here, I promise."

Julie stared at him, knowing he meant well and he really did love her and God did she love him.

"Fine," she sighed knowing there was no other way around it.

She moved to slid out of the bar stool but winced in pain as her leg ached.

"Sweetheart what did you do?" Nick asked her, noticing all the blood now.

"That stupid fence," she lashed out but smiled because he knew she was tougher than she looked and not even his father's fortress could keep her from getting what she wanted.


	6. Chapter 6

The rain was starting to drizzle down on them as they left the restaurant, Julie limping all the way to the car. Nick helped her slide carefully into the front seat but no matter how gentle he moved her, she still winced in pain. As he drove, she leaned her head against the window watching the dark rural scenery go by, shivering despite the eighty degree weather and increasing humidity. They swung into the gravel driveway of his parent's property and she felt her stomach twist into knots, nervous at what was waiting for her behind those front doors. It was going to be awkward facing everyone after running away but she didn't have a choice. Nick guided her up the porch and through the double set of front doors where Bill, Jillian and Jessica were all seated at the kitchen counter looking anxious. Jillian noticed them first and jumped up to help, spotting Julie's injured leg and looking alarmed.

"Honey, you're bleeding," she gasped, fumbling with half a dozen tissues she produced from her robe pocket as if the thin material would have any affect on the massive wound.

Julie recoiled when Jillian approached her, leaning against Nick, swaying unsteadily on her injured ankle, feeling untrustworthy of anyone but Nick.

Jillian stepped back feeling rejected but understanding Julie's hesitation. She glared at her husband now, knowing this was his fault. Nick too eyed his father, waiting for him to speak.

"All right look," Bill said, lifting himself from the tall counter chair and turning to face them "I know you heard what I said but that doesn't excuse you running off like that, you scared everyone."

"You expect anyone to stay here after what you said?" Julie snapped back "I _love_ Nick, we shouldn't have to explain our lives to you, it's stupid and awkward and-

But she couldn't find the words.

"I've watched families be destroyed by divorce," Bill explained "and I've watched all my kids find love and be happy, Nick's the last one, and he's my only son, I guess I just thought he'd end up with someone different."

"I've been told that it doesn't matter if I understand what you kids have or not," he continued "so go ahead, do what you gotta do, but I don't want any part of it and God forbid something happens, I will not hold back my "I told you so."

It was not the apology Julie wanted or even expected but she was exhausted and hurting physically and emotionally. She had seen her fair share of meddling in-laws, but this tested her nerves like no other.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Nick said hugging Julie closer to him as she leaned on him for support, her entire right leg was aching from the jump and fence attack. "All I wanted was for you guys to meet Julie and see how amazing she is, I guess that won't be happening any time soon, we're catching the first flight out tomorrow and you won't have to worry about us bothering you again."

It pained him to have to speak like that to the family that had supported him in ever other endeavor in his life except for this one, but he couldn't sit idly by and let his father hurt Julie. Jillian and Jessica watched sadly as Nick guided Julie back upstairs. He knew it wasn't their fault and he knew they cared but there was no way they could stay here with all this hostility. They made it to the guest bedroom as the storm broke and rain began to pour out of the sky, pounding the roof and windows, trapping the occupants in its quarters, tenser than ever before.


	7. Chapter 7

Once they were safely upstairs, Julie collapsed onto the edge of the bed, yanked off her heels, tossed them in the corner angrily and let out a tiny sob of frustration and pain.

"It's okay," Nick soothed, kneeling beside her "we're gonna get out of here, I promise."

He glanced at her leg now which was a mangled mess of blood and bruises.

"Let's clean this up first," he insisted, going into the bathroom, retrieving a first aide kit and kneeling beside her again.

When Julie saw the kit, she trembled, anticipating pain.

"No," she begged him when she saw the bandages and other medical supplies in his hand "it's gonna hurt."

"Just for a minute," he promised her.

They both knew that was a lie. The pain radiated through her entire leg when he touched her, tending carefully to the wound from the fence, cleaning it delicately then bandaging it gently. The process was agonizing but when he finished, she looked a lot better but still grimaced in pain as she hobbled to the bathroom to change into something other than her now disheveled looking dress. Back in the bedroom, she had to carefully slide into the bed and keep her leg perfectly still, afraid of the slightest touch or movement causing her pain. She hadn't been paying attention to what Nick was doing when she got in bed so she glanced over at him now, scrolling through his phone, searching for flights home.

"Damn," he cursed "nothing until seven tomorrow night."

"Night?" she repeated horrified "Nicky we can't stay here another day."

"I know," he said "I'm sorry, it's all they have."

Crushed by that, she turned over in bed, biting back tears as pain shot through her leg again.

An ear shattering explosion of sound startled Julie awake. The first thing she saw was darkness. The first thing she felt, pain in her leg so intense she cried out but her cry was drowned out but another explosion of sound. For a moment she had forgotten where she was until a bright flash of light illuminated the guest bedroom of Nick's parent's house and she remembered the night's events. She turned her head towards the source of the sound and bright light and noticed the window being drenched in rain. The storm had really picked up and the wind was now howling aggressively, thunder making the entire house shake. Her heart raced in fear of the unknown from the storm outside. Reluctantly and with a great deal of pain, she turned over in bed and called for Nick. Somehow he was managing to sleep through all of this and that upset her even more. Under normal circumstances, she loved rain and the occasional windy day in Seattle but this was a full blown, supersized, bad atmosphere, Texas thunderstorm in all it's rage and it terrified her.

"Nicky," she tried again, desperate for his attention yet embarrassed for overreacting.

Her pitiful cry woke him up at last and he blindly reached out for her in the darkness.

"What babe?" he asked.

"The storm," she whimpered, tugging at the covers until they were up to her chin.

Another violent flash of lightning streaked across their line of sight and she whimpered again, anticipating the thunder, feeling the vibrations in her chest from the sonic boom it produced. Seeing her trying to hide under the covers broke his heart so he reached out for her again.

"C'mere," he soothed embracing her and all the blankets she brought with her "just relax, don't look at it, it'll be over soon."

It was as if nature had sensed their tense, awkward moments with his parents and thought it would be a cruel irony to trap them all here, he thought, as he held onto her tight, shielding her from the violent storm outside. She struggled to keep the covers pulled over her head and cover her hand over her ear to muffle the deafening thunder above them. She had squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to see the vivid neon flashes of light, her whole body tensing up with nerves, her leg aching, it was all too much. She felt him gently tug her hand away from her ear which she protested with another whimper until she felt him cover his hand over her ear instead, so she would no longer have to. The gesture, though small, was enough and it, coupled with his fingers tangled in her hair, scratching her head trying to calm her down, eased some of her fears at last. Nick stole a glance at the digital clock on the nightstand, it was only two in the morning; they were in for a rough night.


	8. Chapter 8

When morning finally broke and the storm subsided, it was as if nothing had happened but they both knew going downstairs and facing everyone would be just as awkward as dinner had been. Though Julie would have rather just stayed in bed and rested her leg, she knew going downstairs would show Nick's parents that she wasn't weak or someone to feel sorry for. So they went; her limping slowly down each step, guided by Nick who made sure she was settled at the kitchen counter first before starting to fix her breakfast.

"Morning," Jillian greeted them "did you kids sleep okay with that awful storm?"

"It was rough," Nick admitted "but we survived, where's dad?"

"He got up early and went out," Jillian said sighing as she stirred her coffee "I don't know what's gotten into him but he was out of line with you two, I gave him a piece of my mind after you kids went to bed."

"Honey," she turned to Julie now "I'm so sorry, I don't know why he's being so stubborn, I think you two are wonderful and sweet together and I'll support you no matter what."

"Ditto," Jessica said as she entered the room "dad's off his rocker on this one."

Julie couldn't help but smile, now that her hunch was confirmed; she had more people on her side than she thought.

The side door opened now and Bill came trotting in toting a tool bag and some gloves. Julie felt anxious when she saw him, withdrawing into the chair, trying to hide her injured leg, feeling vulnerable and overexposed.

"Where have you been?" Jillian demanded to know.

"Looking at the gate," he replied gruffly then turned to Julie "you broke my fence."

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, feeling guilty.

"No one's ever broken that fence before," Bill continued "I've had horses try to jump it, dumb kids try and break it, a truck crashed into it, but nothing ever got through, except you."

Julie avoided his gaze, wondering if his allusion to her breaking things was meant to be about how she was involved with Nick's life after the coma.

"Can you fix it?" Jessica asked her father.

"Shouldn't take too long," Bill said shrugging.

"Please let me help you," Julie insisted now "it's the least I can do since it's all my fault,"

"No way," Nick insisted "not with that leg, dad, I'll help you fix the fence all right?"

"I thought you wanted to get out of here?" Bill asked coldly.

"We have a flight for seven," Nick explained though he wasn't sure why he did. It seemed clear his father wasn't interested in his life with Julie, yet here he stood, in some weird peace offering for their sake.

"I want to help," Julie pressed "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

Bill looked at her now and for one moment she thought she saw him smirk, not in an annoyed way but as if he were impressed with her resilience.

"Sweetie you can help me," Jillian suggested now, reaching across the counter to pat Julie's hand gently "I'm going to reorganize some photo albums, that'll be fun."

Though Julie didn't like the idea of being alone in the house and away from Nick all day, she hoped this was an opportunity to patch things up between everyone.

Jillian made due on the promise of having fun while reorganizing photo albums of their family. She set Julie up on the couch, pushing a square boxy ottoman over to her so she could rest her leg on it while they worked. Her final gesture of comfort was to cover her gently with a blanket then they got started. Julie listened with interest as Jillian told her stories of her childhood, of her kids growing up, mostly stories about Nick as a child which made Julie smile and forget about the pain in her leg. They put together three albums when Julie stumbled across a batch of pictures of Nick in the hospital with his parents, his sisters and a few photos were with Sara, Greg and Warrick. Curious, Julie asked "What happened here?"

She handed the photos to Jillian who sighed.

"Oh dear that was a very scary time for us," she explained "Nicky was hurt by an awful man who kidnapped him and buried him alive."

Julie snatched the photos back from her with more force than she meant to. She had only heard Nick talk to her about his kidnapping and seen a few case notes and newspaper clippings on the matter but she had no idea there were pictures of him. In each photo he looked like he had recovered and was probably just in the hospital as a precaution. Nevertheless, her heart ached when she saw his pained smile even if he was with his friends. The pictures of him with Warrick made her heart hurt even more.

"Didn't you know?" Jillian asked now.

"Yeah," Julie sniffled "we talk about it sometimes, when I was recovering from my coma, I couldn't wait to go home, I begged him every day to take me out of that hospital but he kept pushing me to do my therapy so I could leave and once I got to, I had a hard time adjusting, I just wanted to sleep all day, I felt like I was in a constant fog, Nicky showed me the case files and told me what happened, he said he felt the same way after he was hurt and that we were both survivors."

She finished speaking and placed the photo delicately into its plastic slot in the next album. When Julie looked up again, Jillian was smiling at her.

"I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you both," Jillian sympathized "but you and my son are the definition of strength, I can't imagine him spending the rest of his life with anyone other than you, you really get him, and I think that's the most beautiful thing in the world."

The fence repair took most of the day to complete. By the time Nick returned to the house, it was almost time for them to start packing for their flight home. Despite the grueling day working in the hot sun, the first thing he did upon entering the house was seek out Julie to see if she was ok. When he found her, wrapped up in blankets on the couch, her leg propped up on the ottoman, watching T.V, he smiled, leaned over the back of the couch to sneak a kiss on her head and say "Having fun?"

"Yeah," she said, grinning when he climbed over the ottoman and fell back onto the couch beside her.

"Mom spoiled you," he said nodding at the blanket, and the TV.

"She's so sweet," Julie sighed "we had a really nice time; she told me some funny stories about you."

She giggled at the memories and the fact that she now had embarrassing stories to tell to everyone when they got home.

"Of course she did," Nick said, grimacing at the unknown details of their day.

They fell silent, both exhausted from lack of sleep the night before. They still had a few more hours before their flight so they had no qualms about staying there on the couch, cuddled up, being lazy. Jillian could hear them talking quietly as she made dinner; they talked about their day, about the show on TV, any random thing that popped into their heads, it was a simple but special thing they had and she couldn't be happier for her son.


	9. Chapter 9

Catching their flight back to Vegas earlier than they anticipated made them both sad but also relieved. Nick had not expected to have to defend his fiancé to his father and was quite rattled by the entire weekend's events. He felt terrible for promising Julie a nice trip and having everything go sideways. She was relatively quite on the flight home, silent still as they shuffled through their front door, too lazy to bother with the luggage, tossing it in the corner of the room instead. Emotionally exhausted, Julie sank down onto the couch, glancing around the room, unsure what to do or say next. Instead, she lifted the hem of her jeans to examine her injured knee and ankle.

"Do you think it's gonna leave a scar?" she asked Nick worriedly when he stood in front of her.

"Nah," he said so casually it lifted her spirits and lowered her doubts about her injuries.

"What makes you so sure?" she challenged him smugly.

He shrugged, then leaned in and scooped her up suddenly making her squeal in surprise, lifting her off the couch and carrying her instead over to their favorite arm chair where he fell backwards with her in his arms making her laugh which was his main goal.

"You're in a good mood," she giggled, snuggling into his embrace.

"I'm just glad to be out of there and home with you," he said "I'm really sorry about what happened; I wish things were different."

"What are we gonna do about the wedding?" she asked "I don't want to _not_ invite them but I don't want all that drama."

"We'll figure something out," he assured her "but no matter what happens, I love you and I won't let anyone ruin what we have okay?"

His nonchalant attitude about the whole mess somehow made her feel less stressed about it. She had been fiercely independent for years but she loved the way he protected her, it made her feel safe but still allowed her to retain that independence she had cultivated over the years.

"I love you too," she said realizing she had taken too long to respond and snuggling against him to make up for it.

"So what should we do for the rest of the night?" he asked patting her leg gently.

"Be lazy," she insisted, snuggling into the chair more as if she could melt into its cushions.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed to her request, turning on the T.V. for them to watch and reclining back the seat so she could have something to rest her sore leg on. This was what he lived for, moments between them where they just existed in this small space of comfort and love, not over thinking anything, just _being._ And he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life just being with her.

A/N: I hope it all made sense. I try to convey Nick and Julie as having a simple but sweet and meaningful relationship unlike so many relationships depicted today. She has so much love to give and just wants a normal life. Nick sees how much heart and soul she puts into her life, living it to the fullest post coma and she's not like anyone else he's ever been with. They adore each other and just want to be happy. Now they face the challenge of having someone object to their marriage as they plan for the wedding. I hope to continue with a wedding story soon. Any mistakes are mine. Thanks to all who read and review. Cheers.


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